This French Festival Is Offaly Good

A festival of "little stomachs" salutes variety meats and the rich history of Limoges.

Tripe is one of the most popular offal sold at the frairie. The tripiers, who deal in offal and tripe, unload it onto their stalls by the bucketload.

An andouillette sandwich topped with fried onions is one of the most popular snacks to enjoy at the frairie. It has a very distinctive smell, due to the use of pork colon as a casing.

Boudin noir and andouillette are sold cold or in sandwiches. The former is a French-style blood pudding; the latter is a divisive dish that some are passionate about and others happily leave behind.

Chestnuts are very popular as an ingredient in foods at the frairie, from boudin noir to cake. Until the 18th century porcelain industry took center stage in Limoges, the local economy was fairly poor, and the chestnut, easily scavenged on the ground, was a major ingredient in local foods. This enormous chestnut was being sold by a gentleman who had recently scored a 44-gram specimen.

When placed on the grill, boudin noir often splits and sizzles, offering caramelized portions that contrast with the creamy interior, made with thickened pig blood.

Girot is a popular offal that is very difficult to find anywhere in Limoges except for at the frairie. The dish is made with blood serum packed into intestine and must be prepared in a way similar to liver to be palatable. The traditional recipe calls for deglazing it with vinegar and parsley.

The bright pink-purple color of girot is lost in cooking; once cooked, it turns a grayish purple. While it might seem unappetizing, there was a long line of older Limougeauds waiting to get their hands on just a few slices at the frairie.

The offal being sold by the tripier was quite varied, including girot, lamb kidneys, sheep testicles, and the namesake petits ventres of the festival: sheep stomachs stuffed with offal.

Huge slabs of foie gras with a thick layer of yellow fat on the top are smeared on bread without ceremony for foie gras sandwiches to enjoy as you peruse the festival.

These little local snails differ a great deal from their larger Burgundian cousins. These snails are stuffed with butter, white wine and herbs and then cooked over a hot fire until ready. The gentleman preparing them was deft in tossing them between two metal paddles to make sure they were cooked evenly.

Flognarde, perhaps better known as clafoutis, is a local cake made of a flan-type batter poured over fruit. While the most common version is made with cherries, in the fall and winter, local Limousine apples can be used as well.

One of the few remaining butchers in the city holding true to tradition, François Brun was selling his wares in the center of the rue de la Boucherie, including both andouillette and petits ventres.

This jellied headcheese is one of the most popular items for sale. It is sold either in ready-to-eat slices or in vacuum-sealed pouches to save for later.

Anyone who owns a storefront on the rue de la Boucherie can use it to sell their wares. Many rent them out to other local businesses, but some peddle local cider in plastic bottles and pastries like beignets and flognarde.

If you’re a fan of sausages, you’ll be confronted with quite a bit of choice. All of these sausages are hand-made in Limoges and use only natural casings.

While there are several drinks on offer – cider, beer, wine – the most common is vin chaud, or French mulled wine. This gentleman was serving without ceremony from a large vat he’d placed on the ground.

This woman at one of the butchery stands had decided to wear the traditional coiffe, or headdress, of Limoges as she served. This return to tradition is something that is fading more and more.

One stand had decided to update local Limoges fare with a hamburger – but not just any hamburger. Local Limousine beef, slices of boudin noir, and Limoges apple compote went onto this burger.

While the festival continues to draw more and more participants every year, butchers are not returning to the rue de la Boucherie for the other 364 days of the year any time soon. Most are selling their wares in the local marketplace, les Halles, leaving traditional storefronts like these abandoned.

The festival has roots in a local religious celebration that dates to the time when the butchers of Limoges had taken Saint Aurélien, the second of the two patron saints of the city, as their own personal saint. Crowds cluster around the Saint Aurélien chapel and this pieta statue in the middle of the square.

A closer look at the namesake of the festival, the petit ventre, a specialty that’s hard to find anywhere outside of Limoges. The dish calls for stuffing a sheep stomach (or peritoneum) with four sheep feet, one testicle and mesentery. The entire thing is then boiled in a seasoned broth.

In the evening, people in traditional local dress took to the square for dancing. Women wore elaborate white coiffes for the occasion.

The dances called for a complex combination of bowing and curtseying. A few locals couldn’t help but join in, and the experts quickly helped them learn the steps.

As the sun began to set, more and more people gravitated towards these dancers, watching as they moved in harmony to the traditional regional music.

The musicians played a local Limousine vielle à roué, known as a hurdy-gurdy in English. The instrument first appeared in the Middle Ages.

The aptly named Petits Ventres restaurant is located on rue de la Boucherie. It is located within one of the former butcher’s homes.

In the evening, the streets are so full that it’s all you can do to let yourself be carried by them. Luckily, everyone is going to the same place!

Some shops still use the traditional green and white awning that would have been on every storefront when this street was still home exclusively to butchers. Green and white are the colors of Saint Aurélien.

This historic butcher’s house was restored and renovated to resemble the houses in the time of the powerful butchers. In the summertime, guided visits are organized to allow you to see the layout of these houses, which are very, very narrow and build on three or four levels. The abattoir would have been in the back, and the shop would have been in the front. The family would live on the upper floors.

Quartier de la boucherie: This sign welcomes all visitors to the historic street and its festivities.

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Tripe is one of the most popular offal sold at the frairie. The tripiers, who deal in offal and tripe, unload it onto their stalls by the bucketload.

An andouillette sandwich topped with fried onions is one of the most popular snacks to enjoy at the frairie. It has a very distinctive smell, due to the use of pork colon as a casing.

Boudin noir and andouillette are sold cold or in sandwiches. The former is a French-style blood pudding; the latter is a divisive dish that some are passionate about and others happily leave behind.

Chestnuts are very popular as an ingredient in foods at the frairie, from boudin noir to cake. Until the 18th century porcelain industry took center stage in Limoges, the local economy was fairly poor, and the chestnut, easily scavenged on the ground, was a major ingredient in local foods. This enormous chestnut was being sold by a gentleman who had recently scored a 44-gram specimen.

When placed on the grill, boudin noir often splits and sizzles, offering caramelized portions that contrast with the creamy interior, made with thickened pig blood.

Girot is a popular offal that is very difficult to find anywhere in Limoges except for at the frairie. The dish is made with blood serum packed into intestine and must be prepared in a way similar to liver to be palatable. The traditional recipe calls for deglazing it with vinegar and parsley.

The bright pink-purple color of girot is lost in cooking; once cooked, it turns a grayish purple. While it might seem unappetizing, there was a long line of older Limougeauds waiting to get their hands on just a few slices at the frairie.

The offal being sold by the tripier was quite varied, including girot, lamb kidneys, sheep testicles, and the namesake petits ventres of the festival: sheep stomachs stuffed with offal.

Huge slabs of foie gras with a thick layer of yellow fat on the top are smeared on bread without ceremony for foie gras sandwiches to enjoy as you peruse the festival.

These little local snails differ a great deal from their larger Burgundian cousins. These snails are stuffed with butter, white wine and herbs and then cooked over a hot fire until ready. The gentleman preparing them was deft in tossing them between two metal paddles to make sure they were cooked evenly.

Flognarde, perhaps better known as clafoutis, is a local cake made of a flan-type batter poured over fruit. While the most common version is made with cherries, in the fall and winter, local Limousine apples can be used as well.

One of the few remaining butchers in the city holding true to tradition, François Brun was selling his wares in the center of the rue de la Boucherie, including both andouillette and petits ventres.

This jellied headcheese is one of the most popular items for sale. It is sold either in ready-to-eat slices or in vacuum-sealed pouches to save for later.

Anyone who owns a storefront on the rue de la Boucherie can use it to sell their wares. Many rent them out to other local businesses, but some peddle local cider in plastic bottles and pastries like beignets and flognarde.

If you’re a fan of sausages, you’ll be confronted with quite a bit of choice. All of these sausages are hand-made in Limoges and use only natural casings.

While there are several drinks on offer – cider, beer, wine – the most common is vin chaud, or French mulled wine. This gentleman was serving without ceremony from a large vat he’d placed on the ground.

This woman at one of the butchery stands had decided to wear the traditional coiffe, or headdress, of Limoges as she served. This return to tradition is something that is fading more and more.

One stand had decided to update local Limoges fare with a hamburger – but not just any hamburger. Local Limousine beef, slices of boudin noir, and Limoges apple compote went onto this burger.

While the festival continues to draw more and more participants every year, butchers are not returning to the rue de la Boucherie for the other 364 days of the year any time soon. Most are selling their wares in the local marketplace, les Halles, leaving traditional storefronts like these abandoned.

The festival has roots in a local religious celebration that dates to the time when the butchers of Limoges had taken Saint Aurélien, the second of the two patron saints of the city, as their own personal saint. Crowds cluster around the Saint Aurélien chapel and this pieta statue in the middle of the square.

A closer look at the namesake of the festival, the petit ventre, a specialty that’s hard to find anywhere outside of Limoges. The dish calls for stuffing a sheep stomach (or peritoneum) with four sheep feet, one testicle and mesentery. The entire thing is then boiled in a seasoned broth.

In the evening, people in traditional local dress took to the square for dancing. Women wore elaborate white coiffes for the occasion.

The dances called for a complex combination of bowing and curtseying. A few locals couldn’t help but join in, and the experts quickly helped them learn the steps.

As the sun began to set, more and more people gravitated towards these dancers, watching as they moved in harmony to the traditional regional music.

The musicians played a local Limousine vielle à roué, known as a hurdy-gurdy in English. The instrument first appeared in the Middle Ages.

The aptly named Petits Ventres restaurant is located on rue de la Boucherie. It is located within one of the former butcher’s homes.

In the evening, the streets are so full that it’s all you can do to let yourself be carried by them. Luckily, everyone is going to the same place!

Some shops still use the traditional green and white awning that would have been on every storefront when this street was still home exclusively to butchers. Green and white are the colors of Saint Aurélien.

This historic butcher’s house was restored and renovated to resemble the houses in the time of the powerful butchers. In the summertime, guided visits are organized to allow you to see the layout of these houses, which are very, very narrow and build on three or four levels. The abattoir would have been in the back, and the shop would have been in the front. The family would live on the upper floors.

Quartier de la boucherie: This sign welcomes all visitors to the historic street and its festivities.

On the third Friday of every October, Limoges celebrates offal. Yes, organ meat: spleen, intestine, brains, blood, kidneys… all of those delicacies that seem so foreign and maybe even a bit unpalatable take place of pride at the Frairie des Petits Ventres, which takes place on the aptly named rue de la Boucherie, or butchery street.

This October played host to the 42nd edition of the festival, which actually has roots in a medieval tradition. The frairie was held every year once the weather became cool enough to sell these morsels, and the local butchers—who were once the stars of Limoges’ economy and social structure—were the hosts.

Today, the festival is a celebration of all local foods. When it opens early in the morning, the festival welcomes mainly an older clientele, who grew up on many of these now-rare cuts of meat and come here to source them for a once-a-year treat. In the afternoon, locals who work in nearby offices come to the neighborhood for andouillette sandwiches and local flognarde cake. In the evenings, the entire city floods the street, as the young and old mingle and eat, drink and dance.

Emily Monaco is a born-and-raised New Yorker based in Paris. After many years of trying, she has come to the conclusion that she will likely never be French. She writes about her experiences with Franglais and food on her blog, tomatokumato.com. Follow her on Twitter @emiglia.